The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has been working very hard to educate on the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.  They recently reported that “the FDA received over 20,000 comments on its proposed rules, most of which came from concerned farmers, consumers, and advocates,”  These individuals “spoke out for your farmers markets and CSAs, for organic and sustainable prcates, fro conservation, for giving family farmers due process and a fair shake, and for so much more.”

If you would like to more about the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and their ongoing effort to fix FSMA, please visit sustainableagriculture.net.

 

Farmland - Documentary

Take a moment to view this trailer from the upcoming documentary, Farmland.

 

Farmland - Documentary

Whole Wheat Crackers - From Scratch!

Whole wheat crackers at the super market or gourmet shop are pricey, but did you know you can easily create them at home with just a handful of ingredients?  It’s true! And if I can do it – you can do it too!

Whole Wheat Crackers – From Scratch!

Ingredients

• 2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour


• 1/4 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 cup butter


• 1 Tbsp honey


• 1/3 cup buttermilk or 1/3 cup milk (almond, soy, etc) mixed with 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar


• Herbs (optional)


• Sea Salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.


2. Measure our your buttermilk and set aside. If you do not have buttermilk, measure out your milk and combine with the vinegar, let this stand while you mix your other ingredients.


3. Combine flour, soda, and butter. Mix with wire beaters, or with a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse grounds.


4. Add honey and buttermilk/milk and continue to mix until well blended.


5. Place dough onto oiled counter and knead into a ball.


6. Roll out dough thinly on a baking sheet, cut into squares, use a fork to perforate each square, and sprinkle with herbs and sea salt.


7. Place in oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your crackers.


8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

3.2.1249

Be creative with your crackers!  Add rosemary, garlic, sage, thyme, basil or top them with finely grated asiago or parmesan cheese. If you can imagine it you can make it with this simple recipe.

Whole Wheat Crackers - From Scratch!

You mean those aren't really baby carrots?!

Ahhh, America. Where we take a perfectly good vegetable, slice and dice it until it no longer resembles itself, slap an adorable – but false - moniker on it, and create a “convenient” alternative to the original.  Because, who has time to wash, peel and cut up a carrot themselves?!

We, Americans, eat with our eyes.  Don’t believe me?  Check out those supermarket tomatoes, beautiful aren’t they?  Shiny, strikingly red, perfectly round, now take a bite.  Not quite what you were expecting?  That’s due to the fact that the tomato you find in the supermarket has been bred for industrialized growing, picking, and shipping, not necessarily eating.

In our quest to create a more efficient and cheap food system we have further alienated people from where their food truly comes from.  Carrots are a great example of this growing problem. For instance, carrots are not only orange, they are also: purple, yellow, red and white.  If you have ever grown your own you also know that they do not have the same length, circumference and shape as one another.  You might have even found one that looks like this before:

Carrots are rich in antioxidants, minerals and ß-Carotene, which is partially metabolized into Vitamin A in humans. Vitamin A helps us to see better, leading to the myth that by consuming large amounts of carrots will enable you to see in the dark. In truth, if you consume too many carrots you will develop carotenosis, a benign condition in which the skin turns orange.

If you have planted carrots for the fall – you can cover them and leave them in the ground for a while. Continue to harvest them after the first frost – they’ll get sweeter and sweeter!

Carrots are great as a raw snack, but are also used around the world in a variety of cooked dishes.

Check out the video below which takes you through the entire process of creating a bag of baby carrots.

You mean those aren't really baby carrots?!

Butternut Squash

It’s not a secret that Butternut Squash is one of my favorite winter squashes.  Versatile, it can lend itself to both sweet and savory dishes. Roasted, stewed, pureed into soup, baked into pies, really it becomes a staple in our house this time of year.

My favorite and go to recipe is simple and delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Sea Salt

Ingredients

• butternut squash, peeled, cored and cut into 1 in cubes


• olive oil


• sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425


2. Peel your squash with a vegetable peeler. If you have trouble with the rind, drop the squash into boiling water for approximately 4 minutes.


3. Remove seeds and cut the squash into 1 in cubes


4. Combine olive oil and sea salt in a large bowl


5. Add squash and toss to coat.


6. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet


7. Check and turn squash after 15 minutes.


8. Continue to cook until done.

3.2.1249

 

 

Butternut Squash

Last CSA Pickup!

Title: Last CSA Pickup!
Location: The Farm
Description: Our last CSA pickup of the season! CSA members, please remember to bring back your boxes!
Date: 2013-10-28

Last CSA Pickup!

Apple Snitz!

This afternoon I popped trays of sliced apples into our dehydrator.

I love to have dried apples on hand.  They make a great snack option and you can use them to make a variety of traditional recipes such as Schnitz un Knepp.

Drying apples can be accomplished in a variety of ways.  I use our Excalibur dehydrator.  If you choose to use a dehydrator be sure to follow your specific machines directions for temperature and time.  For myself, I simply wash, core and slice the apples 1/4 to 3/8 ” thick and set my dehydrator for 135 degrees.

You can also dry apples in the sun.  This method will take 3 to 4 days when the temperatures range from 98 to 100 degrees.  Cover the fruit with a cloth at night or bring inside to protect from bugs.  Freeze the dried product for 24 to 72 hours to protect from insect contamination.

Using your oven is a quick and easy way to dry apples. Set the temperature to 140 degrees, and leave the door open slightly. For best results, put a fan in front of the open door to blow air across to remove moisture. The fruit should be dry within 2 to 3 hours.

When your apples are dried, store them in an airtight container and use within 1 year.  I store my apples in 1/2 gallon mason jars and seal them with our vacuum sealer, but any container with an airtight seal can be used.  My biggest challenge is getting them from the dehydrator to the jars before the kids eat them all!

Apple Snitz!